Grain cleaner



Feb-17, r1931. J. F. RUNGE GRAIN CLEANER Filed Oct.10. 1928 Zaman/a V' 52122 Pam eY f Maffay;

wimax Unirse 'STATES PATENTV .orifice i i Jo'nlv r. nutren, onsrnncnn, IOWA Original application filed Feb The object of j oneri: anni-luna my present invention is to provide a cleaner of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, this application being a division of tiled February 257,238.

my copending application, 27, 1928, Serial Number Itis mypurpose to provide such a grain cleaner that can bemade in diierent i sizes for hand and power operation and lfor cleaning a great lvariety of seeds jor grain in such quantities as may be desired. Y Y

Another object of my inventienis to provide a grain cleaner in which shaker-screens are utilized for 'receivingthelgrain' and removing dirt and from. Still a further other foreign matter thereobject is to provide a fan mechanism iny `connection with the shaker screens for the purpose of blowinglight trash such as straw and weeds from the grain as it is being cleaned.y With these and other obj ects` view my vention consists in the constructiom'arrangement and combination of the various 4parts Vof my device, wherebyfthe objects Lcontemplated are attained, as hereinaitermore Jfully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. `Al'- though4 the invention isl susceptible of `a variety of embodiments,it is unnecessary to fully describe and illustrateV more than one 'in orderto 'give afull understanding of the invention both from itsjstructural and functional,standpoints.y Accordingly, I have er embodyin same. Y Figure 3 isa on the line 3-3 the various shaker screensl andv other parts A of Y my device ,and

Figure 4 on the line ISE,

illustrated a `preferred and desirable fem'- bodiment of the'inventionin the accompanying drawingsin which:

Figure l is a top plan of my invention.

view of a grain cleandetail sectional viewA taken of Figure 1 andillustrates dean Swami ,View taken 4 -4 of Figure 3 to illustrate the movable supporting mechanism forztheshaker screenV assembl My improved Yr. grain cleaner' mechanism ruary 27, 1928, Serial-No. 257,238. Divded'and v( )ctober-l, 1928. Serial No. 311,527.` i

Y screen assembly.

this appneauon mea Vconsists of suitable supporting frame memlbers 18 are cross bars 20,7which detachably support thehopperf22L` The hopper 22h21 in its bottom ardischarge opening 24.

AFor adjnstably controlling the size of the opening 24, I provide a closure vmember 26, having a handle 27 slidably mounted in a 'guide 28.` Secured to the under sideof the hopper 22 are angle bars 30,.whichcoact with the cross bars 20 for yholding the'hopperin proper position.

v' The controlling handle 27 is Valso slidably mountedV between one of the bars V30 and the 4bottom ofthe hopper 22. i

Arranged to receive grain or seed discharged from the opening 24 in the hopper 22, I provide shaker screens 32, which arer part of a shaker screen assembly, which will now so This assembly comprises a pairofl spaced be described.

'side wall members 34 of the peculiar shape shownin Figures 2 and 3, inset in corresponding openings 36 in the respective sidewall members 18 for lateral reciprocat-ionl The side wall members 34,Y are connected by cross rods 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46. The rod 46 is'mounted at the front ofthe machine and may be arranged in any one cfa series of laterally spaced pairs of holes48`.`4

Pivoted tothe rod 38 is a hinged deck or chute member-50, which is inclined downwardly yand -forwardly andnormally has its :forward end restingon the rod'40, as shown in Figure 3. i V

The. deck 50 stands normally. justbelow the hopper 22.

dischargeopening -24 at the bottom of the are made in a unit, comprising a pair of superposed spaced, screen members carried by a frame, having the transverse elements 52 and the longitudinal frame members 54.

The rearward ends of the side members 54 have notches 56 (see Figure 3), which receive the forward edge. of the deck 56 and. theforward end of the shaker screen unit rests on the rod 46.

l find that the shaker screen assembly can be held by friction between the walls 34,

against accidental displacement, but other fastening means may be employed` if necessary, for instance by connecting the sidemembers 54 of the shaker screen unit with the deck member 50.

'he deck member 50 andthe shaker screens are ordinarily used in suoli an arrangement that` they are inclined from the rod 38 downwardly and forwardly in the machine.

v Arranged below the shaker screen and inclined from the forward end of the machine downwardly and rearwardly is a cross screen 58 from which grain or the'like is discharged upon a solidbottom member 66 extended from the lower rearwardend of the screen 58 substantially in the same plane rearwardly and downwardly, as shown in Figure 3.

Below the screen 58` is an inclined bottom member 62, arranged between the side walls 34 for discharging dirt and very small seed and the like.

rl`he shaker screenunitis mounted for lateral reciprocation in the following manner:

@n the outer surfaces of the side walls 34 are mounted arojecting members 64. Flat resilient mem ers 66 are hung on the side meml ers 18', as byY means of hookshapel portions 68 projecting through slots 69 Vand thence inclined downwardly and outwardly,

as shown in Figure 4, and around the outer portions of the members 64 and thence inwardly laterally toward and preferably to the walls 34.

The lower parts of the spring members 66 may be securedto the members 64 or to the wal'ls 34 or to both'. rlheir resiliency tends to hold the shaker screen unit. at itsrcentral position.

The mecl'ianism` for reciprocating the shaker screen unit will be hereinafter described.

Locater rearwardly and below the discl'iarge opening 24 the hopper 22 is a fan easing 70, in which. a. fan' T2 ismountedl on a transversely supported shaft 74. i

The fan casing 70 has a discharge mouth 7 6 located slightly forwardly with relation to and below the opening 24 in suchmanner as to discharge4 forwardly and slightly upwardly in. the machine asA indicated bythe arrows at 7S and S0.

rhe. forward supportilVT members 10 are connectedY by an angle iron brace 82 andthe rearward members 10 are supported by an angle iron brace 84.

Suitably supported on the frame of the machine at the discharge end of the bottom member is a short chute 86, which may be used for discharging the cleaned grain from the' machine. intosuitable receptacles or into a.. grain grading device such as the rotary type of grading cones illustrated in my copendingi` application hereinbefore referred to.

I. shall now describe the gearing connections for my improved grain cleaner. SupportedA on.- the frame of the machine as s hown inr Figuresl and 2 is a bracket 152 which is illustrated partially in section in Figure 2 for theA purpose ofshowing a slot 153 therein.

Suitably mounted on the bracket 152 and the frame of the machineis a stub shaft 154 on'. the outer endof which is a. crank handle 155. @n the shaft 154 isa gear 156 which meshes with a. small pinion 158 on the fan shaft 74.` It will thus be seen that by rotating theshnft 154 through the operation of the crank handle155 or from any other desirable source of power, rotation. will be imparted through the gear and pinion 156 and 158 to the fan shaft 174 and theI fan` 72 within the fan' casing 7 O.

0nA the shaft 7 4 is ashort arm 16() to which ispivotedone end of a pitman 162 projecting forwardly in the machine. The short arm 1.60 rotates during part of a revolution through the slot 153` in the bracket. 152.

The central portion of a bell crank lever 164: ispivoted as at 166 on. the frame of the machine adjacent to the shaker screen unit already described. The forward end of the pitman 162-is pivoted to one arm of the bell crank lever 164 and the other arm of that lever is pivoted to one of the walls 34 of the shaker screen assembly.

The member' 168 is a. brace for the bracket 152.

I shall now describe somewhat in detail the opera-tion. of. my improved machine.

Assuming that a. certa-in kind of seed is to be cleaned,` forexample, wheat, the operator, as result of. his experience, adjusts the closure member 26 for fixing the size of the opening 24 for the proper discharge of wheat to the machine. He then selects the proper shaker screens for wheat and. mounts them in the shaker screen assembly.

Then he adjusts the forward ends of the shaker screens by raising or loweringthe rorl 46 and inserting it in the proper holes 48.

Grain is supplied to the hopper 22 and when the shaft 154 is rotated, motion will be imparted. tothe shaft 74. The fan is thus operated for blowing a blast of air from the fan' casing through the screens 32 as indicated by thearrows at 78 and' 80.v The rotation of theshaft 7 4 also imparts reciprocating movement to the pitman 162 for reciprocating the bell. crank. lever. 1164 "(see. Figures 1 and 2) and thus imparting to the shakerscreen unit a lateral, recipvro'cat'ingmovement. e

The lateral shaking movement of the shaker screens agitates the grain at the discharge end of the hopper and causes the grain to travel downwardly over the deck 5,0 Vand the shaker screens 32.l The very coarse content,

indicated as at 180 (Figure 3) passes over the screens 32 and is discharged. Likewise the air blast will blow out lfine dust and like articles, such as straw 181. i

All the grain, including dirt, dust, and fine iseed, passes downwardly through the screens 32 and drops upon the screen 58, which permits fine dirt and very small seeds to drop through, as indicated at 182.

The fine dirt drops upon the member `G2 and is discharged. i

The remaining seed travels rearwardly and downwardly on the screen 58 to the bottom or chute member 60 and is discharged `down the chute 86 to a receptacle or to a grading device as hereinbefore indicated. Y

It will be seen from the foregoing chine which can be used in large or small sizes for hand or power operation. By changing theshaker screens the machine may be used for cleaning clover seed, wheat or many other kinds of seeds. y

A plurality of cleaner screens 32 may be.

siderably changed without departing from,

the inwardly extended parts of said last mentioned bars.

2. In a grain cleaner, walls, a shaker member and means for movably supporting the shaker member relative to said walls, said :means comprising resilient bars connected at their upper ends with said walls and means at the lower ends of said bars for fastening them to vsaid shaker member,

said last means comprising bars fastened at their upper .ends to said shaker member, extending downwardly and outwardly .from such fastening, then extending in- 'wardly and Vhaving their free ends fastened to said shaker member, Ysaid first mentioned bars being bent outwardly and extending over the outwardly and downwardly Aand the inwardly extended parts-of said last mentioned bars.

Des Moines, Iowa, September 29, 1928.

v JOHN F. RUNGE.

vthat I have provided a comparatively simple mathe real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, Y

any A'modified forms of structure'or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a graincleaner, side walls,a shakermember and means for movably supporting thershaker member relative to said side walls,

said means comprising resilient barshooked at their upperends, openings in said side f walls for said hooks and means at the lower. f

ends of said bars for fastening them to said ,shaker member, said 'last means comprising bars fastened at their'upper ends to said- 5 vshaker member,"extending downwardly and outwardly-from such fastening, then extending inwardly and having their free ends fastened to said shaker member, said first mentioned bars being bent outwardly and extending over the outwardlyand downwardlyA andl 

